The 2020 Rising Stars of the Profession: Eric Hartter

Eric Hartter double majored in Accounting and Finance and was about to graduate during the financial crisis. Going into his senior year, he took an internship at a Big 4 firm auditing private equity and hedge fund company, and ended up receiving an offer. "During my internship, I did not feel as though I was adding value and audit clients generally are not thrilled you are there," he says. "I felt like I was only checking a box and the thought of doing that for the foreseeable future was not appealing. I turned down the offer, reapplied for a consulting role at the firm, and the rest is history."  

Today, Hartter is a Senior Manager within Cognizant Consulting's Banking and Financial Services practice where he leads projects related to digital strategy, CCPA privacy, robotics, and mortgage process re-engineering, and created a strategy to stand-up a mortgage practice for an online bank.  He has led the creation of capital expenditure estimates totaling over $10 million for Top 5 Banks, and ran those initiatives managing teams of more than 35 people.  

"Every day is different and you get to wear many hats," Hartter says. "The most prestigious companies in the world call in consultants when their backs are against the wall, meaning consultants work on the most challenging and complex issues." 

There is no defining achievement of his career of which he is most proud, he says. Rather, it is about the journey, personal growth, and building his intellect and emotional intelligence. "None of those have an endpoint, and all of them allow me to be a better partner, mentor, leader and most importantly person," he says. "Watching others succeed and bringing them along on the journey is what gets me up in the morning." 

Ask Hartter what's been the biggest factor to his success so far? He says: Plain and simple, hard work. "I also believe that being transparent about my expectations of others and understanding what is expected of me have been critical factors to success, as well as being continuously intellectually curious, adhering to strict time management, and avoiding complacency," Hartter says. "Lastly, I am an entrepreneur at heart. Risk of the unknown does not scare me. You may be super intelligent with tremendous vision and strategy, but at the end of the day, the only thing that matters is if you can execute on that strategy." 

Q&A: What does winning a Rising Stars of the Profession award mean to you?

Hartter: "Throughout the process of being nominated and selected as a finalist for the Rising Stars of the Profession award, I have seen just how much my colleagues, friends and family support me.  Receiving the award has always been an unspoken goal of mine. Being recognized is affirmation that all of the hard work I have committed does not go unnoticed."